Mr. ,T. 
Emerson. 
OTSTi:il CraTTOE COMMIgSIOX—MI2CUTES OV EVIDEKCE. 
proper inspection of tlic oysters after they are opened to see if tlicy are lit to 
meat and poultry arc inspected; and also to see it the oyster itself, not lo i > * ‘ o 
^--—' ^ size, because some oysters have very large shells and small lish. i. j; .i iiuErp mi 
6 Nov.. 1876. ^50 could that be carried out. As far ns I know, m no part of the J ^ 
oyster by the weiglit of tbo tisli f {Some samples of oi/sters ivere here produced:) dbese oystcis me only 
such as we commoueo to grow upon. 
151. These small oysters come from Shoalhavon ? Yes. 
152. And they arc sold us food in Sydney? Yes. i i i i j i r....r.ur.A 
153. The fish must be very small? Yes; they are sold cheap ; they are hawked about and disposed ol, 
not as a luxury in the ordiuaiy wav, I)ut for whatever tliey will fetch. 
154. Have you bccu oysters as small as these sold in Sydney f _ Tes, and worse, ^^, 
155. Is not the oyster trade greatly prejudiced wlien such riibhisli IS sold foi’food; les, it t v * y 
many ways. I n the first place, tlie parties who sell these oysters, as long as they can make a living at it, 
strip them off the rocks without any regard to the future trade. i + tm- -p t 
156. Is Shoalhaven a leased river ? Yes, I believe it is uudor lease of older date to Mr P. T .Tolinson. 
157. Is it the lessee who scuds these iu ? Yes; they are put into the market as saleable oy.sters. 
Mr. W. J. 
Laiigliam. 
G Nov., 187G, 
this 
Xo. 2 sample is from Eroken 
IMr. "William John Langhaiu, Inspector of Oyster-beds, called in and examined: 
158. Chairman.-] Porha])s you can give the Commission an c.xnlanatiou of the different samples of oysters 
now exhibited? They are samples which I procured from the shops this moriuiig ; there are seven ot 
them. No. 1 is from Slioalliaven, at present under lease to Mr. Johnson. iii.ii o 
’ 159. Son. J. B. Wilson.^ And these oysters have been sent up to Sydney for sale by the lessee . les, 
with the exception of No. 5 and No. 7 samples. 
160. And purchased by you at shops in Sydney ? Yes, 
Eay, from Air. Gibbins’s place, who is also a lessee. i tvt o • p ^i 
161. Chairman.'] These also arc sold in the shops? Yes, all the Bamples Fodiiced. No. 3 is from the 
Clarence Kiver—Afr. Peter James, lessee ; No. 4 is from Cape Hawke Air. George Clarke, lessee ; iSo. o 
is from off a bed in George’s lliver, cultivated by Air. Emerson ; No. 6 is also from George s Eiver, Irom 
Air. Emerson’s lease: No. 7 is from the same bed as No. 5. ^ i p i o tvt y 
162. Hon. X B. Wilson.] Do you consider it proper that these oysters should be offered tor sale Most 
decidedly not. I have complained over and ovei' again to the lessees about it, but I have no power at 
present to prevent it. « , i 11 • o i i. 
163. AV^ith respect to No. 1 sample,—do you consider tliose oysters unfit to be sold ui bydney, on account 
of their small size ? Certainly. ^ , . i n • i 
164. AVhat do you think is the diameter of the largest ? The largest I think does not exceed 2 inches. 
165. And the smallest ? About ^ inch. rr • ii j. ^ 
166. AVitli regard to No. 2, the Eroken Eay sample,—Are those oysters, do you think, sulhciontly matured 
to be marketable ? I think not. 
167. And No. 3 sample, from the Clarence Eiver? No, I think they might also he grown larger. 
168. No. 4, from Cape Hawke ? Yes, they arc of average size. 
169. No. 5, from George’s Eiver? A'es, I consider those marketable. u i *1 n 
170. AVould these last (No. 5 sample) go tbrongli a 2i-iiK*li gauge ? They would one way most (locidedi}. 
171. AV'e have evidence from Air. Emerson tliat these oysters would recpiire two years to mature . xes, 
they woidd require all that. 
172. And then thev n'oiild not go througli a 2Yi^it^k gauge ? No. it 
173. The sain])leH 5 and No. 7 were not for sale in the shops ? No ; they are samples I procured to 
show tlie diilercnce in size. 
174. Tbev are in fatter condition and more suited to the market than the others ? Yes. 
Air. Jolin Emerson’s examination resumed ; 
175. Chairman.] You have exhibited those two samples—Nos, 5 and 7—merely as a sample of your growing 
Mr. J. oysters. You do not consider that they would bo fit for consumption for another two years? No; it 
would' be to my advantage to leave tlieui for that time. Of course, in the event of an emergency I could 
6 Nov. 187G, them xip and use them, hut it would he more profitable to leave them, because they grow so much 
more during the last two years. 
176. These mud oysters, whicli you get by dredging, of course are saleable ? Yes; that is a sample (No. 7) 
of mud oysters of a rare H])ecies now nearly extinct. 
177. Do you thinli it would be a wise policy—having regard to the public! interest solely, without t'cspect 
to lessees whose interests of course must bo secondary—on tlie part of the Government, to prohibit the 
sale of these voiy small oysters, such as you have exliibitcd? Yes, I think no oysters should be allowed 
iu the market except those that arc a proper size. 
178. Don't you think these small oysters have a prejudicial effect on the public mind to prevent the con¬ 
sumption? Yes, of course people who go into a sliop and get these sinall oysters be(*ome disgusted and 
don’t care to try them again for perhaps a mouth ; whereas if they got good,’fat, well-flavoured oysters 
they wmdd make them a regular article of food. 
179. And these same oysters if put on a good fattening ground would hceomc large and hoaltliy ? Yes, 
I believe any oyster if put on to proper ground would grow. 
180. Supposing a four-year old oyster were taken from the rocks and put on good fattening gi'ound, 
would it grow ? Yes, if it were taken off the rocks carefully without being chipped. All our George’s 
Elver oysters grew on the face of flic rock, and grew so thick that they grow outwards. AVhen these are 
worked off they fall into the soft ground and become drift oysters. All these oysters are rock oysters, 
and if you take an old boot or a bottle and put it down tln^y will adhere to it, but when , they are put in 
soft ground they grow and fatten. 
181. All the oysters in this Colony are of one species, are they not? Except the imid oyster—that is a 
different species. Even the stock of the mud oyster is different from that of the rock oyster. The stock of 
the roclf oyster is ou the left side, hut iu the mud oyster it is in tlie centre. There is a difference also iu 
the shell,—the shell of the rock oyster is a flint, and that of the mud oyster is like a cuttle-fish, quite 
soft. 182. 
A 
